Sri Lanka protests 2022

The inconsistencies and contradictions in U.S. democracy promotion, are not limited to one particular administration, but to the U.S. approach as a whole.

Before Bangladesh’s “Second Liberation,” Sri Lanka had its Aragalaya. Political developments since then serve as a cautionary tale to Bangladesh’s protesters.

The first election since the mass unrest in 2022 is likely to be a fiercely fought contest.

On the first anniversary of the people’s uprising, the spirit of dissent among Sri Lankan citizens remains strong. 

The primary demand of the 2022 protests – the removal of Gotabaya Rajapaksa from his role as president – has been achieved, but the secondary demand of “system change” has not.

One year after the protests that ousted Sri Lanka’s president and government, reforms remain elusive and the national crisis is far from over.

Yes, Sri Lankans drove President Gotabaya Rajapaksa from office – but did they accomplish any lasting change?

Rights groups say that authorities used extraordinary powers to keep Wasantha Mudalige in detention without producing evidence of his involvement in terrorism.

Low turnout at the protests indicates that Sri Lankans are giving the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration a chance to deliver.

The government is concerned about renewed protests against the unpopular former leader, while opposition figures worry Rajapaksa will try to find a way to re-enter politics.

The fascinating history of the opulent building that became ground zero for Sri Lanka’s protests.

He will remain in the post until Parliament elects a new president to serve out the remainder of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s term, ending in 2024.

“Gota” is finally gone, but ending Sri Lanka’s chronic instability will be an even harder task than ousting the Rajapaksas.

Protesters had successfully demanded the prime minister’s resignation, but they want his brother gone from the presidency as well.

Financial hardship persists but there is growing hope among Sri Lankans that Ranil Wickremsinghe will see them through the tough times.

“The political and economic crisis have exposed the multiple failures of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa presidency.”

The united voices of the people must be heard: “Gota Must Go.”

It was the first shooting by security forces amid weeks of protests against the Rajapaksa government and a worsening economic crisis.

But protestors are unimpressed. They want the ruling Rajapaksa clan to go.

Sri Lankans for the past months have been enduring shortages of fuel, food, and other essentials and daily power outages.

Facing Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis, the Rajapaksa family's appeals to national security and Sinhala Buddhist nationalism may no longer be enough to keep them in power.

The leaderless nature of the protests was part of the attraction for many Sri Lankans. But leaders need to emerge if the movement is going to succeed in bringing about political change.